Great gym day!After a long day of sitting at work--yes, I said "work"--hit the gym for:3 miles on the treadmillUpper body--lats chest biceps and triceps side bends with kettlebell and leg pull-up for my absFinished off with 15 minutes on the Staormaster

Food: Green Shake (spinach, flax, frozen banana, soy milk, powder PB)Oat Bran and Greek Yogurt (tips on a vegan alternative???????????)Lunch: crackers and salsa, almonds, seaweed flakes, and lots of water.*****I digress: The lunch was brought in today and we had soup- I assumed a veggie soup would be a choice. No! So- I scrounged up what was available from others who brought in snacks (this consisted mainly of junk left-over from the holidays) and what I had brought myself. I didn't starve but was extremely frustrated! I feel like I should speak so there will at least be a vegetarian option at these things. Thoughts?****************I had a Picky Bar before working out tonight.Supper- Hubby is making a Lentil soup/Quinoa concoction of yum!

I am open for any suggestions on meals as this is typically where I have the most difficulty.Thanks!!

January 3rd!!Meals Today: Green SmoothieGreek Yogurt with Oat bran (found an alternative to the dairy I am gonna try tomorrow! Thanks to a convo with some vegan goddesses!Leftover quinoa/lentil yums and an applePicky BarTonight- Hummus with rice and nut crackers.Detox tea

My activity consisted of:Working my abs (plan- 100 before bed each night)Worked my IT band with some exercises my PT gave me.Stretching- as we speak

January 4!Great Day...Meals: Green Smoothie and dry cereal later.Lunch was on the go so I had almonds and an apple (too many almonds).Picky BarI had veg chili with Quinoa this evening before heading to make a grocery run.Walked for 30 minutes at school (hit the stairs every cycle) and will do my 100 crunches before bed...along with my detox tea of course!

It's great checking out everyone's journals. Lots of inspiration out there!!Thanks everyone!

Am I the only one who reads my journal? I could sure use some feedback from all you inspiring athletes out there!

January 5th-T-minus 8 minutes to take-off to the gym.60 degrees here in IA today! And one would think my run would be outdoors. Alas, an oil change puttered that out of the plan.So- My goal is an hour on the mill, upper body on the free-weights and (because I forgot my 100 crunches last night) 200 of those bad boys tonight!

Looks like a spring half marathon and fall marathon are in my future this year. Base building needs to be happenin!

Meals today:Green smoothieCoconut yogurt with quinoa ( hello substitute!)Lunch: rice and quinoa and an appleSnack: sunflower seeds and dried mango piecesI ate half a vega bar when I got home to fuel my workout.Not sure about dinner yet. Have lots of veggies....any suggestions?

While I wasn't able to stay on the mill for an hour I DID get in a 3.5 mile run, upper body, and did my 100 crunches. Just realized I didn't get the other 100! Darn! Looks like 200 is in my future tonight!

Sunday, January 8thKnew I wouldn't be able to post yesterday as I was on a Girls' Weekend up north...BUT here's a recap:Went to a small shopping district and walked around for hours. We ate pretty healthy, stopping for lunch at a small cafe where I ate a veggie sandwich and had a soy latte.Our day went on to include a four mile run on a beautiful trail in Minnesota, then more shopping at the local Co-op. Got a great vegan sandwich on gluten-free bread and some tasty veggies with hummus to enjoy later.Had some energy work done and started making my vision board for the new year. It was a healing, spiritual, active day!Today we finished our vision boards, went for a 45 minute walk through the country, and am now safely back home!Meals so far today:B- Pro-Bar and tea.S- Rice Cake with Almond ButterLots of water!Purefit Bar on the way homeI am now enjoying a Kombucha and pumpkin seeds.I am looking forward to a relaxing dinner of veggies and tempeh with my hubby later.

In the meantime- unpacking, hanging my vision board, and hoping to get back outside for a short run/walk and ab work. 200 today as last night I zonked out without doing them!Hope you all had a GREAT weekend!

So I tried to post yesterday and when I hit send- our internet went down for the night. UGH.Maybe it's for the best. Yesterday was rough with a capital "R".No workout- drained and ornery.Meals- Not so good either.B: Green SmoothieS: Green SmoothieL: Granola, apple, and LarabarS: candy (ugh)I had half a can of black beans mixed with quinoa on the drive in to a meeting...then...D: Coconut Bliss IC with a scoop of PB...THEN I had more PB, wine, cereal with chocolate almond milk and more wine. Went to bed feeling gross and even more ornery.

Gym- 3 miles on the treadmill (very tired through most of it but it got DONE!)Dinner: I am looking at tempeh and veggies in my future.

Much better day. I think the scale put me on the downward spiral yesterday. I felt like my weekend was great and that I should have seen that reflected in my weight. Not so much. Frustrating.I could really use some feedback. Am I not eating enough?

mrsc2011 wrote:Gym- 3 miles on the treadmill (very tired through most of it but it got DONE!)

I love that feeling of having "done it" even when i was tired.

I don't have any substitutes for greek yogurt, mostly because I don't know exactly what it is. I think it might be thicker than regular watery yogurt made out of fermented cow teat secretions? I really like soy yogurt, and there's stuff made out of almond milk on the market too. My favorite brand is Nancy's, it's organic and so good.

If you're be more specific about your workouts and amounts of stuff in your diet, someone here might be able to give you specific feedback. What are your goals? Do you have a personal trainer?

Hi Sherrie! Oh my gosh, I just saw your posts about not getting feedback and feeling like no one is reading your journal! So sorry if you're feeling discouraged. I'm clicking the box to be notified when you post, so that I can keep tabs on you.

I am just getting into fitness myself and participating in the January challenge, so I may not have tons of answers for you in regard to some of your questions. But, I have been vegan for a couple years, so if I can help you in any way, feel free to reach out to me!

Regarding vegan yogurt, sounds like you found an alternative to dairy that you like. I also like soy yogurt and almond yogurt. Mmm...

You've had remarkable consistency in working out and journaling, and that's really inspiring to see! And I LOVE the fact that you said you're "jazzed" to start this! I use that expression all the time.

Great work. What have you enjoyed most about this challenge thus far? We're having a lot of fun putting it together, but it's so hard to keep up with everything! I'm finding that just by recording my lifts, I'm lifting way heavier than I would be if I didn't have to be accountable, which is a pretty awesome benefit.

January 12th...Thanks you soooooooooooooooooooooo much for the responses. I was beginning to feel like I was posting wrong or something. I will definitely try to be more specific about my workouts now that I have someone keeping tabs on me (so great karen!!)I have found a great alternative to Greek yogurt but with my smoothies I have not had much anyway.Robert- The thing I like most about this challenge is the number of training journals that inspire, motivate, teach, and make me feel okay with being human I think about my journal when I reach for candy, think about excuses for skipping the gym, and I think about my journal when I get my food ready for the day. It has been incredibly motivating for me just knowing I will be posting. And like you said, keeping myself accountable. I understand how hard it is with so many journals, to reply....but gosh, it sure helps to get any reply posts at all and to know someone is there to answer my questions. I really appreciate it.